Hamper



Nov. 24, 1959 A. E. F. JOHNSON 2,914,281 E HAMPER Filed Oct. 18, 1957 IN [/5 N TOR ATTORNEYS.

United Sttates Patent 9 HAMPER Axel E. F. Johnson, Cincinnati, Ohio, assignor to American Hospital Supply Corporation, Evanston, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application October 18, 1957, Serial No. 691,074

4 Claims. (Cl. 248-98) This invention relates to a hamper and to a hamper and bag combination in which the bag may be readily removed from the hamper and reassambled therewith.

An object of the invention is to provide a hamper formed of several pieces which may be readily assembled and which provides a locking lug for confining a bag in position within the hamper and irrespective of the weight imposed upon the bag. A further object is to provide a hamper which may be shipped in separate pieces and then readily assembled to provide a sturdy hamper structure adapted to receive a bag therein and to lock the same against dislodgement during use. Other specific objects and advantages will appear as the specification proceeds.

The invention is shown, in an illustrative embodiment, by the accompanying drawing, in which Figure l is a perspective view of a hamper embodying my invention; Fig. 2, a side view in elevation; Fig 3, a top plan view; and Fig. 4, an enlarged detail sectional view, the section being taken as indicated at line 44 of Fig. 3 and showing a bag received within the hamper and locked therein against dislodgement.

In the illustration given, 10 designates a hamper part having an inwardly-extending bottom arm 11 to which is secured a roller 12, an upwardly-extending reach or arm 13, a forwardly-extending horizontal arm 14, and a depending short arm 15 providing at its bottom an abutment 16. Each of the members 10 is identical in structure and adapted to be brought together to form the composite hamper, as illustrated best in Fig. 1. The three members 10 have their bottom horizontal reaches 11 flattened at their extremities and superposed and perforated so as to receive a nut-equipped locking bolt 17. Similarly, the downwardly-turned short arm 15 of each member 10 is apertured at its bottom to receive a bolt 18 which passes through an aligned aperture in the vertical reach 13 of an adjacent member 10 and a nut 19 may be employed on the outside of the arm 15 to secure the bolt in the position shown. It will be understood that any suitable locking means may be employed for releasably connecting together each of the short arms 15 with the adjacent portion of a member 10.

It will be observed that each of the members 10 has its vertical leg 13 generally aligned with the bottom horizontal leg 11, but the top horizontal leg 14 is turned at an acute angle from the position of the bottom reach 11 so as to bring it flush against the side 13 of an adjacent member 10. By securing the angularly-extending horizontal arm 14 to the vertical leg 13 of an adjacent member 10, a brace or support for the angularly-turned arm 14 is thus provided and a sturdy composite structure is brought about.

Within the hamper is placed a bag 20 having its bottom portion resting on the bottom reaches 11 of the members 10 and having its top portion folded downward- 1y to bring its hem 21 below the abutment 16 provided bag in effective suspended position within the hamper irrespective of the weight imposed upon the interior of the bag by the deposit of contents therein. When it is desired to remove the bag, the operator can slip the hem portion 21 of the bag one by one outwardly from below the locking ledge 16 so as to free the bag and the bag can then be lifted from the hamper.

The structure offers the further advantage of providing members which may be formed and shipped separately in a package and then, when these are received, the assembly can be accomplished readily by connecting the lower reaches 11 of the members 10 between the bolt structure 17 and then connecting the short arms 15 of the various members 10 to the reaches of the adjacent members 10. After the hamper is erected, the bag 20 is placed in position and the movement of the hem 21 below the abutment 16 is facilitated by the V-shaped recesses at the corners of the hamper, enabling the border portion of the bag material to be pulled downwardly to effect the latch which has been described.

While, in the foregoing specification, I have set forth a specific structure in considerable detail for the purpose of illustrating an embodiment of the invention, it will be understood that such details of structure may be varied widely by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of my invention.

1 claim:

1. A hamper and bag combination, comprising at least three structural members of substantially identical configuration, each of the members having an inwardlyextending arm flattened and apertured to receive a bolt, an upwardly-extending side arm, a horizontal top arm, a depending segmental arm, means for connecting three of said members together at their bottom ends and for connecting the segmental arms to the adjacent members, said segmental arms terminating in an abutment, and a bag suspended within said hamper and having an out- Wardly-turned border portion extending over said segmental arms and interlocked with the abutments thereof.

2. In combination, a bag equipped with a hem portion, a hamper providing a frame consisting of three identical members each having an inwardly-extending bottom arm, a vertically-extending outer arm, a horizontally-extending top arm, and a depending segmental arm, the top arm of each member being rotated at an angle outwardly from the bottom arm thereof, said segmental arms being releasably secured to the adjacent members, and said bag being received within the hamper and having its border portion turned downwardly and the hemthereof locked below the bottom edge of each abutting edge of each segmental arm.

3. The structure of claim 2, in which the bottom arms of the members are flattened and apertured to provide overlapping members adapted to receive a locking bolt.

4. A hamper, comprising three tubular construction members of substantially identical configuration, each member having an inwardly-extending reach adapted to be secured to the reaches of the other members, each member having a vertical reach extending generally in alignment with the bottom reach, each member having a top reach rotated at an angle from the bottom reach and terminating in a depending arm lying adjacent the vertical reach of another member, and means releasably securing said depending arms to said vertical reaches of said members.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Fackler Aug. 20, 1912 Groom et a1 Dec. 20. 1938 

